OVERLAND DESTINATIONS

One of my favorite places to take folks, or to just get away for a while, is Douglas Creek, in Grant and Douglas counties. It's just a short jaunt from Wenatchee, easy to do in a day, or even a half day if conditions are good. It's also a great overnight trip, with a fair-sized camping area.

There's a lot of history to Douglas Creek, at one time it was the rail route from the wheatfields, down to the Columbia River, and also provided passenger service from the Waterville Plateau to Wenatchee. The tracks were utilized until the 1970's, but are now gone. Some remnants of the railroad remain, and it's a fascinating area to explore.

One interesting challenge on the route is Douglas Creek itself. There's a crossing which can be very easy, or too deep, fast and dangerous to attempt, given the conditions. Immediately after the water crossing, is a steep, rocky, rutted and loose climb which can test even a well set up overlanding vehicle. Ira took this photo of Stubs the Jeep with trailer in tow, coming back out from a NWOL camping trip in 2017:

There is a good hiking trail, and a primitive campsite which we've used in warm and chilly weather:

I try to organize two NWOL trips to Douglas Creek every year, usually in the spring and fall.